Scooters get the boot: San Jose phasing out old e-fleet to make way for a new contractor

LIME AND BIRD brand electric scooters are disappearing from San Jose streets as the city brokers an exclusive deal with another company to launch up to 1,000 e-scooters.

City transportation officials made the switch to Spin scooters Sept. 1, as they slowly phase out Bird’s remaining fleet of about 200 scooters. Micromobility devices like e-bikes, skateboards and scooters were controversial when they first sprang up in downtown with little-to-no notice after 2018, but regulations and cooperation from the major scooter operators over the years helped the technology become a part of everyday life.